The Seattle Seahawks continue to make changes to their roster ahead of Saturday’s season finale, completing their 2020 draft class on Friday by trading controversial edge defender Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a future sixth-round pick.
The Seahawks’ decision to move on from Taylor should come as no surprise, as although the former second-round pick excelled as a pass rusher with 21.5 career sacks, he also had chronic problems as a run defender. His inability to develop into a better all-around defender ultimately cost him his starting spot over the past two seasons, as opponents attacked him with great success, hampering the entire defense.
With new coach Mike Macdonald, Taylor received a $20,000 signing bonus in March on a restructured contract, giving him another opportunity to carve out a more prominent role. But early in training camp it became clear he wasn’t a good fit, and with Dre’Mont Jones slated to play many snaps from the sideline along with Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, he became expendable, leading to the decision to send him out of town for a late draft pick.
Given the talent Seattle still has on the roster with Nwosu healthy again, Jones moving into a more edge-oriented role, and Mafe and Hall both emerging young talents, general manager John Schneider doesn’t have to make a big deal to replace Taylor, who likely would have been released later this month or seen limited action as a rotational defender in Macdonald’s defense. It would be unreasonable – if not irresponsible – to turn around and invest significant financial and/or draft capital to add another member to the unit.
At the same time, however, there are no such things as too many pass rushers in today’s NFL. For all his faults, Taylor provided momentum as a twitchy, athletic pass rusher that was unmatched by the Seahawks’ four core depth players and left a void from that perspective.
Of course, that void also brings opportunity, and as Seattle prepares to wrap up its preseason against Cleveland on Saturday night at Lumen Field, Taylor’s departure could open the door for undrafted rookies Nelson Ceaser, Jamie Sheriff and Sunny Anderson to be next in line, either sneaking onto the 53-man roster or emerging as priority candidates for the practice squad.
Of that group, Ceaser joined the Seahawks in April as the free agent with the most successful resume. After waiting for his chance behind future NFL talents Logan Hall and Payton Turner, he became one of the Big 12’s most feared pass rushers for Houston last season, recording a conference-best 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss and earning a first-team all-league honor.
Despite being eligible to play, Ceaser decided to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite his impressive performance last season, poor performances in athletic testing at the NFL Combine and Houston’s Pro Day significantly damaged his reputation. He failed to even run the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis and ran a slow time of 4.91 seconds at his Pro Day. Disappointing test results across the board caused him to slip out of the draft entirely before Seattle signed him.
In two preseason games, Ceaser has played solid football for the Seahawks, earning an overall grade of 75.6 from Pro Football Focus, the fourth-highest grade for a defensive lineman on the team. While he hasn’t stood out as a pass rusher so far, with two pressures on 30 pass repetitions, he has held his own in the run game and shown a solid edge, albeit against backups, a positive contrast to his former teammate Taylor.
Sheriff came out of nowhere and has arguably been the more dynamic player this summer. Signed on August 6, the undrafted rookie from South Alabama has taken full advantage of every opportunity he’s been given since his arrival, including providing an unexpected spark as a pass rusher. He wins with power and finesse and has created seven pressure situations – tied for the most on the team with Hall – as well as one tackle for loss and a pass rush win rate of 20 percent.
Built with a prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker frame at 265 pounds, Sheriff has shown plenty of power for the Seahawks. He was able to put his strong testing numbers to good use at South Alabama’s Pro Day, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds and did well in the short shuttle, 3-cone drill, and high/long jump. Those traits are clearly visible on film, and he also played a physical brand of football against the run, going from a listless body to an interesting developmental talent in a short amount of time.
If there’s one area where Sheriff has to be concerned, it’s Macdonald’s desire for outside linebackers capable of dropping into coverage under simulated pressure. And while the rookie hasn’t caught or been targeted on a single ball in two games, he hasn’t looked quite as confident in that aspect of his game.
As for Anderson, the undrafted rookie from Grambling State has been far more inconsistent in tryouts and training camp, making him an underdog at this point. He’s on the smaller side at 6’5″ and 240 pounds, has struggled physically to withstand NFL tackles on offense and has been more prone to being overwhelmed in the run game. He’s also been shaky at tackling in limited reps, missing 50% of tackles.
Anderson, however, has been more consistent in the pass rush. He’s quick rather than explosive or quick off the side, and while the results should be taken with a grain of salt due to the very small sample size, he recorded four pressures in just 17 pass rushing snaps and a pass rush win rate of 17.6 percent, nearly three percentage points higher than Taylor. Another solid performance against the Browns could put him back on the practice squad radar.
As things currently stand, the Seahawks may not need another fullback on their active roster, especially with Mike Morris, Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed occasionally sliding to the outside in Macdonald’s versatile scheme. The types of players that will be lined up at the position will be much different than they would have been under former coach Pete Carroll, as vastly different skill sets and body types will be mixed and matched on the front line.
It’s also possible, if not inevitable, that Schneider and Seattle’s scouting department will dig through preseason footage from other teams looking for potential replacements for Taylor, who could become available via the waivers list after the Aug. 27 deadline. Three trades have already been completed this month, and another deal could be on the way if the right player also becomes available.
But in terms of depth, the Seahawks clearly saw enough from Ceaser, Sheriff and Anderson in their first training camp and preseason to feel comfortable moving on from Taylor just before the season finale. If no further moves are made to bring in a replacement, at least one of these undrafted rookies should be a top target to bring back to the practice squad, if not a secret wild card to keep an eye on if they want to earn a final roster spot with a strong finish to the tryout season.
